Lebanon saudi arabia

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal was a strongly worded, combative and highly partisan defense of the Trump administration’s relations with Saudi Arabia. Echoing the president’s description of the oil-rich kingdom as a “spectacular ally,” Pompeo argued that downgrading the U.S.-Saudi alliance in response to the Saudi government’s murder of Jamal Khashoggi and its inhumane military campaign in Yemen would seriously jeopardize U.S. national security and vital American interests in the Middle East. Having spent a combined 50-plus years working on Middle East policy at the Department of State, we understand the importance to America of Saudi stability and the need to maintain a relationship with Riyadh. But we don’t accept Pompeo’s over-the-top, Alice in Wonderland-like perceptions of the value of Saudi Arabia. Indeed, much of the op-ed describes the behavior of a country we can barely recognize.Story … [Read more...] about The Trump Team’s Fawning Over Saudi Arabia Is Getting Ridiculous

Congress Sen. Lindsey Graham on Monday championed the Senate's willingness to publicly rebuke the Saudi Arabian government despite the White House's unwillingness to do the same, slamming the Gulf monarchy and calling out Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by name for accusing senators of grandstanding on the issue. Graham (R-S.C.), a fierce ally of President Donald Trump, voted last week in favor of advancing a resolution that would end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's involvement in the civil war in Yemen, despite Pompeo’s warning against the measure. Graham, writing in The Wall Street Journal, said “it is important for Congress to signal that there is no excuse for recent Saudi behavior.”Story Continued Below “It is wrong to suggest that maintaining U.S. alliances consists of mutually exclusive choices between power and principles,” Graham wrote, citing the recent murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate, arguing that … [Read more...] about Graham on Senate rebuke of Saudi Arabia: ‘Someone’s got to do it’

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is discussing a proposal to cut oil output by up to 1 million barrels per day by OPEC and its allies, two sources close to the discussions told Reuters on Sunday. The sources said the discussions were not finalised as much depended on the reduction in Iranian exports. “There is a general discussion about this. But the question is how much is needed to reduce by the market,” one of the sources said, speaking in Abu Dhabi where a market monitoring committee is due to be held on Sunday, attended by top exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia. Asked by reporters in Abu Dhabi if the market is in balance, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said: "We will find out. We have our meeting later.” Al-Falih last month said there could be a need for intervention to reduce oil stockpiles after increases in recent months. The United States this month imposed sanctions curtailing Iran's oil exports as part of efforts to curb Tehran's nuclear and missile … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia discussing proposal to cut oil output by up to one million bpd by OPEC and allies

By Katie Paul and Idrees Ali MANAMA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and key ally Bahrain said on Saturday that Gulf states are playing a critical role in maintaining stability in the Middle East by combating Iran's "vision of darkness", as Riyadh faces its worst political crisis in decades. Saudi Arabia is the lynchpin of a U.S.-backed regional bloc against growing Iranian influence in the Middle East but the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. has prompted a global outcry and strained Riyadh's ties with the West. "We are now dealing with two visions in the Middle East. One is a (Saudi) vision of light ... One is a (Iranian) vision of darkness which seeks to spread sectarianism throughout the region," Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a security summit in Bahrain. "History tells us that light always wins out against the dark ... The question is how do we defeat them." U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Saturday that the killing of Khashoggi, … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia says it is beacon of ‘light’ against Iran despite Khashoggi crisis